When I read the whines in the letters column about how current female employees have to endure for years the misbehavior of male co-workers, I am amazed.

In my age, the Groucho Marx age, men thought they were being funny, entertaining, witty, if they leered a bit at a pretty gal. Often they leered at unpretty ones too, thinking they would spread their cheer around. It was all in good fun.

Except for psychopaths or criminals, handling men in work or social situations was not and is not now difficult. Women can easily handle the inflated egos of certain men, who only think they, like Groucho, are cute. I am amazed that today’s dainty damsels don’t know that. Women are not the only fragile sex.

Patricia Sharp

Carlsbad

Women need to step up and speak out

If California women are truly sincere about wanting to be equal with men — it’s time for you gals to step up vis-a-vis sexual responsibility.

There’s no half-stepping when it comes to equality.

I ask two things of my sisters going forward.

One: Zero tolerance of this type of behavior from any man at any time. It’s not cute, even when the guy is cute. You don’t get to pick and choose.

Two: Don’t wait for women more courageous than yourself to speak out before you come forward. Your stories are no less valid, but it’s a bit pathetic that you held back.

Speaking out and stepping up to discrimination best happens in real-time not after-the-fact.

If only women and men already operated in a state of understanding, Filner would never have been elected in the first place, and we wouldn’t even be having this conversation.

That’s a lot of time and money wasted. C’mon people, we can do better than that.

John Gatti

San Diego

Filner’s behavior speaks for itself

The op-ed by Levak and Lazar essentially says that it is premature for health care professionals to speculate about Mayor Filner’s diagnosis.

It matters not what a Rorschach inkblot test might reveal, or if he had “prolonged stressful events” in his life. In medicine, we speak of Res Ipsa Loquitor, which simply means that something speaks for itself. Mayor Filner is an admitted sexual predator and should be removed from office, either by resignation, recall or a conviction of having committed sexual assault.

M.P. McCarthy, M.D.

Carlsbad

Cole and Emerald were overdue

It’s about time City Councilwomen Myrtle Cole and Marti Emerald got on board with the out Filner camp. It just goes to show how Democratic women rally around their dogs and creeps as long as they can, after all they will tell you it is their dogs and creeps. If it was a Republican or conservative they be leading the charge with torches and pitchforks.

Terry Schwartz

El Cajon

Public office is for the public’s business

Over the last few years the people of San Diego have elected several people who were profoundly unfit for public office. Each had their own foibles, but they are united by a common theme: The office to which they were elected was run for their benefit and at their personal whim.

They have forgotten that public office is not theirs by divine right, but held in trust to do the public’s business. This may sound naive, but it’s not, it’s fundamental to the office.

The sooner we start electing people who really believe this, rather than say it with a sly wink and nod, the sooner our city will live up to its potential. After all, one way or another, we will get the leadership we deserve.

Bruce Higgins

San Diego

New home for the seal cam

We need to move the $50,000 Seal Cam to the mayor’s office, where the real abuse takes place.

Remember, before the 2012 elections, our governor, Jerry Brown, went out to stump for the union pay and benefit package (Proposition 30). When the governor showed up in San Diego to extol the merits of the aforementioned pay package, he personally backed his fellow Democrat Bob Filner by saying, and I quote, “you have a good one here.” I just wonder what Brown thinks now about Bob Filner? Is he embarrassed? Does he have second thoughts? One can never tell. Our governor is probably to busy patting himself on the back for passing Proposition 30. California, the new Detroit.